The novel coronavirus pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis. Many countries have (rightly) decided to close schools, colleges, and universities.
Learning is moving online, on an untested and unprecedented scale. Many assessments have simply been canceled.
Clearly, these barriers will not only be a short-term problem but can also have long-term consequences for affected students. Inequality is likely to increase among students.
The closure of schools, colleges, and universities interrupts the teaching for students all over the world.
Along with this, the female students hailing from unserved are like Tharparkar is facing more obstacles after this outbreak.
Champions for Change, and Female Education Promoters from Tharparkar also expressed that ‘The condition of female education in Thar is miserable, we are unable to approach with authorities and local parliamentarians as they can invest proper budget for the progressive future of Thar if female is considered as the mother-university for children then surely their educational background will support to educate more upbringing cadre from this unserved area.’
They also stressed that conventional views and social taboos have played an integral role in impeding its process, lack of political will and vision among the persons in power, incompetent and insufficient faculty and poor infrastructure can also be held accountable for the abysmal state of women’s education.
‘Just observe the routine life of a Thari women you’ll surely get the advanced education about science, technology, physics, and chemistry, they just need a visionary plan or way forward as they can enhance their practical life in academic life as well.’
When approached to Cheif Executive Officer (CEO) Thar Education Alliance (TEA), and Champions of Malala Fund, Partab Shivani stressed that ‘We have already poor literacy ratio of girls, there are series of the issues, for a girl to get an education is still a daydream, she has to cross many milestones.
Thar has only 24% of girls’ schools, post-primary education for girls is very critical, and in that situation, COVID-19 will leave a great impact on girls’ education especially for middle, secondary, and higher secondary classes.’
Mr. Shivani further told as no doubt enrolment drive will be a tough task in that situation but retention would also be a great hindrance as those females who have been promoted from the middle, secondary and higher secondary grades, their age would be over then twelve years, as early child marriage is common here in Tharparkar so they would have to leave the schools after marriage and in some cases, they would have to leave as villages have not post-primary schools, it may they also be trapped either for domestic work or for child labor.
Mr. Partab Shivani urged the Sindh government to make a robust strategic plan to combat upcoming issues of enrolment and retention, he also shared as all stakeholders which are working on education must have to build alliances and work for this segment as the ratio of out of school children could be minimized.
